Experimenting with reality

Technology is changing the way we create and express ourselves, and the evolution of augmented reality (AR) has had a huge influence on this.

Today we talk to the creator of AR filter app Meisai, Takayuki Watanabe from Kitasenju Design, about the technology he uses to create surreal worlds, experimenting with ideas and what he hopes to achieve with AR in the future.

Apple’s developer tool ARKit brings a variety of AR-enabled functions to the iPhone and iPad that simplify the process of building AR experiences. It can easily detect flat surfaces such as floors, walls and desks, detect the movement of a device in 3D space, recognise people and track their movements, and much more.

Meisai makes use of ARKit to create images that transform real-world scenes into something incredibly eye-catching. For example, if you’re out on the street, open the app and it will detect people’s silhouettes and the scenery around them, and apply effects that will make it seem like you’ve wandered into another dimension.

One of the inspirations for creating Meisai was the “optical camouflage” effect, in which a person reflects their surrounding scenery like a mirror and blends into the landscape – which became popular when it was used in the Ghost in the Shell anime.

“I’ve always liked the idea of hallucinatory images and representations of computer graphics, such as objects floating in the real world. When parts of reality become strange, it’s easier to feel weirder, and I think it’s more interesting as an image,” explains Watanabe. “Meisai makes it easy for anyone to create such mysterious images. We developed it because we wanted to show as many people as possible that AR can be used in this way,” he continues.

Originally, Watanabe was interested in interactive images, and even before AR became popular, he repeatedly experimented with video expression through programming. He says he was influenced by designers Yugo Nakamura, Kazumasa Teshigawara and others who use creative coding in their work.

Watanabe’s experimental sketches of various visual representations are not only embedded in Meisai, but also published on his website and social accounts.

Inspired by Zach Lieberman (a creative coding guru and developer of Weird Type, an app for placing text in real space using AR) and Keijiro Takahashi (known for his holographic shows) sharing their content, Watanabe wanted to share his sketches with the public and contribute to the world of visual culture.

The feedback from people who have seen his work is the driving force behind his creativity.

“It takes a lot of passion for someone to create an app, but when different people have a positive reaction to it, that motivates me. Basically, I’m experimenting with various things from the perspective of whether or not I’m having fun, and I would be delighted if other people were able to relive and experience on social networks what I have created,” Watanabe says.

“With ARKit, creators can now focus more on their content, and as it evolves, there will be even more things you can do with your imagery, so I’d like to create a variety of works,” Watanabe says.

In one of his published sketches, a work called AR Flower, he’s been able to use the iPad Pro’s ranging sensor LiDAR to recognise more flat surfaces than just the floor and walls to fill various places in the room with flowers.

“In general, AR is often thought of as a tool to make everyday life more convenient, but I find it interesting that something bizarre, like a hallucination, invades reality. As technology advances, it’s great fun to think about what new things we can do with it,” Watanabe says.

Watanabe wants to create images that are unique to AR, using the space itself as a canvas rather than a framed expression, and we’re excited to see what new filters may be added to Meisai in the future (the app is only available on iPhone XR or later devices).

MEISAI - AR Filter

New AR Effects

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